The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, Chen Jing opened his eyes.
The Blood Recovery Powder he had taken yesterday was still working its effects through his body. He could feel that he was much lighter on his feet, and moving no longer felt as heavy as before.
Moreover, the Exemption Bead in his mind was slowly accumulating energy. Judging by how things had gone last night, it would take about two more months to fill without the help of medicine.
Now that his injuries had healed and his mind was clear, and with the silver his father and eldest sister had scraped together for his apprenticeship...
To avoid letting things drag on and invite trouble, Chen Jing quickly got ready and headed straight for the Eight Desolations Academy.
The Eight Desolations Academy was in the residential district of South City.
Chen Jing wound through several streets and soon arrived in front of a grand-looking compound.
Before he even got close, the courtyard rang with the shouts of men training, one after another, brimming with the fervor of martial practice.
The plaque above the gate bore the three forceful characters "Eight Desolations Academy." Their vigorous strokes made his heart stir.
Chen Jing took a deep breath and raised his hand to knock.
A moment later, the wooden door creaked open, and a young man in his twenties poked his head out.
"What are you here for?"
The young man looked Chen Jing up and down, his gaze tinged with suspicion.
Chen Jing answered at once. "I'm here to learn martial arts."
"Did you bring money?"
The young man asked coldly, clearly unimpressed by Chen Jing's threadbare appearance.
"I did."
Chen Jing replied without hesitation.
"Then follow me—"
The young man was just about to step aside when an impatient voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Junior Brother Fang, what are you doing?"
The young man paused and turned around.
Chen Jing followed his gaze and saw a young man dressed in silk, holding a folding fan, stepping down from a rickshaw.
The sight stirred something in Chen Jing.
He knew this man.
Not long ago, he had pulled the man's rickshaw. Back then, the man had been friendly and even given him a generous tip.
So Chen Jing had a fairly good impression of him.
"Senior Brother Liu, this newcomer has come to apprentice and learn martial arts. I was just about to take him to see Master."
Junior Brother Fang hurriedly explained.
Hearing this, Senior Brother Liu looked Chen Jing over a few times, then frowned and murmured as he fanned himself. "You look unfamiliar... but a little familiar, too."
A moment later, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he tapped his fan, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "By the way, haven't I ridden in your rickshaw before?"
Chen Jing nodded and was about to answer.
The next second, Senior Brother Liu's expression turned cold, and his tone changed abruptly. "What a joke! Have the Eight Desolations Academy really fallen so low that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come crawling in to apprentice?"
Senior Brother Liu gave a cold snort, his eyes full of contempt. "A rickshaw puller thinks he's fit to learn martial arts?"
With that, he flicked his folding fan and strode into the courtyard, not sparing Chen Jing another glance.
Only after Senior Brother Liu had vanished from sight did Junior Brother Fang sigh and turn to Chen Jing. "You heard him, friend. Since Senior Brother Liu doesn't like you, you'd better go back."
Chen Jing gritted his teeth. "What does him not liking me have to do with my apprenticeship?"
Now that he finally had the means to learn martial arts, how could he give up just because of something the man had said?
"It has everything to do with it."
Junior Brother Fang continued, "Senior Brother Liu is from the Liu Family of the Inner City, and he's very close to Master. Now that he's spoken, there's no chance you'll be able to learn martial arts at the Eight Desolations Academy. If you insist, you'll only bring humiliation on yourself."
With that, he shut the wooden door.
Staring at the closed door in front of him, Chen Jing clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles ached.
Just now, because of Senior Brother Liu's friendly manner, he had thought quite well of him.
Now he saw that it had been nothing more than the casual tip a benefactor tossed to a rickshaw puller. The man had never treated him as an equal.
That supposed kindness had been nothing but a performance. Deep down, he had always looked down on ordinary people like Chen Jing, who pulled rickshaws for a living.
Even Chen Jing's attempt to learn martial arts at the Eight Desolations Academy, in their eyes, was an insult to their standing!
Since the Eight Desolations Academy had turned him away, he had only one option left for now: the River-Breaking Fei Family Martial Hall.
If the River-Breaking Martial Hall wouldn't take him either...
Then he would have to find another way.
With that thought, Chen Jing wasted no more time and immediately hurried toward West City.
The River-Breaking Martial Hall was in the residential district of West City. A large river ran nearby, and since the hall stood west of it, it was also known as the Hexi Martial Hall.
It was still early in the day. Thanks to the stamina Chen Jing had built up from pulling rickshaws for so long, he kept up a brisk pace and soon reached the martial hall.
The plaque bore the six characters "River-Breaking Fei Family Martial Hall."
As before, he knocked and announced who he was.
This time, no one barged in to interfere, and Chen Jing was smoothly ushered into the courtyard.
Inside, a dozen or so burly men were practicing their punches around wooden posts. Their fists cut through the air with a whoosh, landing with thuds, each strike packed with force and impressive to behold.
Under the eaves sat a sturdy, middle-aged man in a brown short jacket. He drank tea as his sharp eyes took in everything around him, his natural authority radiating without a word.
This was Fei Feng, master of the River-Breaking Martial Hall.
"Master, this young man has come to apprentice."
The man who had brought Chen Jing in stepped forward to bow, then introduced him.
Fei Feng glanced up and asked bluntly, "Name, what does your family do, and did you bring money?"
Chen Jing immediately cupped his hands and replied, "Master Fei, I'm Chen Jing. My family pulls rickshaws. I've long heard of your reputation, and I've come to apprentice and learn your art. I've already prepared the silver."
As he spoke, Chen Jing presented the money pouch with both hands.
"A rickshaw puller, huh..."
Fei Feng glanced at the pouch, then studied Chen Jing from head to toe for a while before rising and walking over to him.
The next instant, Fei Feng's palm slammed into the third rib below Chen Jing's chest!
A tremendous force struck like an iron hammer. Chen Jing's bones went numb, and a searing pain flared through him. His eyes twitched from the agony, yet he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.
Watching Chen Jing's reaction, Fei Feng nodded. "Your constitution is average. And your family is poor. Are you really set on taking this path?"
At that, Fei Feng's tone turned stern. "I'll make the rules clear up front. If you can't show any promise after three months of training, you'll have to leave the martial hall. Can you accept that?"
"Three months? I can accept!"
Chen Jing replied without hesitation, his voice ringing out. Then he held up the money pouch and offered it with both hands.
Fei Feng weighed the pouch in his hand and nodded. "The amount is just enough to cover your tuition for three months."
With that, he tossed it casually onto a table in the hall. It landed squarely, without a coin out of place.
"Starting today, you're staying. Whether you can reach a certain level will depend on your fortune."
Then Fei Feng beckoned to the man who had brought Chen Jing in and instructed him, "Zhuang Tao, take him to change into a set of clothes, then teach him the rules."
"Yes, Master!"
The burly man who had brought Chen Jing forward stepped up and smiled as he cupped his hands toward him. "I'm Zhuang Tao, fourth in the martial hall. You can call me Fourth Senior Brother."
"Come on, I'll show you around first."
The martial hall's front and central courtyards were training grounds, while the rear courtyard was where Master lived and was generally off-limits. The dining hall and bathhouse stood beside the front courtyard.
After showing him around, Zhuang Tao explained the rules to Chen Jing with a serious expression. "We don't have many rules here."
"First, if you can't make any progress within three months, you won't count as an official disciple of the River-Breaking Martial Hall, and you mustn't claim the school's name in public."
"Second, disciples who haven't officially entered the school may only train in the front courtyard. You must become an official disciple before you can train in the central courtyard."
"Third, you must respect your master and elders. Fighting among fellow disciples is strictly forbidden."
"You'll learn the rest of the rules once you become an official disciple."
Before you continue